Hunting and Fishing BlueEther • 2d ago • 66%

Out in the Bush

I had an early start for my first hunting trip in nearly 20 years, and I was filled with excitement as I made my way to the Northern blocks of Pureora Forest Park. The feeling of returning to the wilderness after such a long time was almost surreal. As I headed into the park, the memories of past hunts started to come back to me, and I could feel the anticipation building up. On the way in, I crossed paths with another hunter who was heading out. He mentioned that he and his group had camped overnight and that there were two more hunting parties further up the track. To top it off, his mates were also planning to head into the area that same morning. With all this information, I couldn't shake the feeling that it might turn out to be a pretty busy block, which made me slightly concerned about how crowded the hunting grounds might be. As I continued along the track, I started noticing plenty of sign—although much of it was very old, almost too weathered to be of any immediate use. I kept moving forward, scanning the area with my eyes, hoping to come across something fresher. After a while, my patience paid off when I finally stumbled upon my first set of fresh tracks. The excitement of finding a fresh trail reinvigorated me, and I carefully followed the signs, hoping they would lead me closer to my quarry.   At one point along the way, I believe I might have heard a stomp—maybe 15 to 20 meters away—but the dense cover made it impossible to see anything. I decided to wait, standing perfectly still for several minutes, listening for any additional movement. Unfortunately, nothing stirred, and I couldn't confirm if it was a deer or something else. The area where I heard the sound was incredibly thick, the kind of cover where animals can disappear in an instant without a trace.  As I continued on the trail, I encountered a patch of sign that, while not exactly fresh, was definitely newer than the others I had seen so far. Among the signs, I found some scat that I couldn’t quite identify. It was smaller than most of the other droppings I’d come across, and I wondered what animal it could have come from. If anyone can offer an ID on the poop, I’d appreciate it!  Further along, I noticed several trees that had been rubbed, indicating recent deer activity in the area. Seeing those rubs, combined with finding fresh pee nearby, gave me hope that I was getting closer. Even though I didn't catch sight of any deer that morning, the experience was still exhilarating. There's something deeply satisfying about being in nature, observing the signs and tracking the wildlife, even when the hunt doesn't result in a sighting.    To cap off the day, I did spot two goats during the drive in, so at least I saw some wildlife on the outing. All in all, it was a good morning spent in the forest, and I was grateful for the opportunity to reconnect with a passion I hadn't indulged in for two decades. There's always the next trip, and who knows, maybe next time I'll get lucky! <Edited for further context>

New Zealand Wildlife BlueEther • 3w ago • 100%

Interactive map launched in bid to save the bittern

www.rnz.co.nz

The Taranaki Regional Council has launched a interactive map to make it easier for the public to log sightings of Australasian bittern.

Aotearoa / New Zealand BlueEther • 2mo ago • 100%

NZ has outdated rules on gene technology - scientist

www.rnz.co.nz

> A leading scientist is welcoming the end to a gene technology ban, saying New Zealand has missed opportunities because of outdated rules.

Aotearoa / New Zealand BlueEther • 2mo ago • 93%

Drone pictures of White Island in level 3

cross-posted from: https://no.lastname.nz/post/739915 > WHAKAARI / WHITE ISLAND > The Volcanic Alert Level has been raised to Level 3 at White Island and the Aviation Colour Code raised to orange. > > Aviation Colour Code Orange indicates that a volcanic eruption is underway but with little or no ash being produced. > > On Geonet's website, duty volcanologist Geoff Kilgour said the volcano had produced "a more vigorous plume" on Friday afternoon, moving volcanic ash to the east of the island. > > Today, 10th August, Whakaari exhibited vigorous activity at the vent, which maintained a constant plume that was visibly depositing ash into the sea. > The latest official information is available from GeoNet at https://www.geonet.org.nz/mbl/news/6C... > > Just to clarify, a drone has no sound, from the brief times we could hear the sound it was identical to Dukono in Indonesia. This was the sound used in this video.

New Zealand Wildlife BlueEther • 2mo ago • 100%

Drone pictures of White Island in level 3

WHAKAARI / WHITE ISLAND The Volcanic Alert Level has been raised to Level 3 at White Island and the Aviation Colour Code raised to orange. Aviation Colour Code Orange indicates that a volcanic eruption is underway but with little or no ash being produced. On Geonet's website, duty volcanologist Geoff Kilgour said the volcano had produced "a more vigorous plume" on Friday afternoon, moving volcanic ash to the east of the island. Today, 10th August, Whakaari exhibited vigorous activity at the vent, which maintained a constant plume that was visibly depositing ash into the sea. The latest official information is available from GeoNet at https://www.geonet.org.nz/mbl/news/6C... Just to clarify, a drone has no sound, from the brief times we could hear the sound it was identical to Dukono in Indonesia. This was the sound used in this video.

New Zealand Wildlife BlueEther • 3mo ago • 100%

Mangrove trees are on the move, taking the tropics with them

www.scientificamerican.com

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.smeargle.fans/post/202712 not a NZ story, but I suspect that are on the move here as well

Please join [@Dave@lemmy.nz](https://lemmy.nz/u/Dave) and I at the second Canvas event in 3 days: [https://canvas.fediverse.events/#x=179&y=311&zoom=1&tu=https%3A%2F%2Flemmy.nz%2Fpictrs%2Fimage%2Fa36e6529-23d8-496d-9f42-bce60efa3850.png&tw=114&tx=100&ty=300](https://canvas.fediverse.events/#x=184&y=340&zoom=1&tu=https%3A%2F%2Flemmy.nz%2Fpictrs%2Fimage%2F497358ad-b655-4ae1-9e42-ea70c303a63e.png&tw=114&tx=100&ty=300&ts=ONE_TO_ONE)

New Zealand Wildlife BlueEther • 4mo ago • 100%

Home | New Zealand Garden Bird Survey

gardenbirdsurvey.nz

Only one more day

New Zealand Wildlife BlueEther • 4mo ago • 100%

Want to help our precious nocturnal bugs

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.nz/post/11868928 > Want to help our precious nocturnal bugs during Matariki’s longer nights? Turn the lights down low > > https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/520796/want-to-help-our-precious-nocturnal-bugs-during-matariki-s-longer-nights-turn-the-lights-down-low

Hi all Expect intermittent downtime this afternoon as I migrate towards 0.19.4

New Zealand Wildlife BlueEther • 4mo ago • 100%

4 plants in the New Zealand bush you can eat in a survival situation

thisnzlife.co.nz

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.nz/post/11310760 > Stumbled on this and thought it was worth a share. I had no idea you can eat gorse!

New Zealand Wildlife BlueEther • 5mo ago • 100%

A Northland island has a very unusual problem...too many kiwi

www.rnz.co.nz

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.nz/post/10239601 > > The residents of an island in Northland are grappling with an unusual problem - they have too many kiwi. > > > > Seven kiwi captured near Waitangi, when their bush habitat was about to be cleared for pine forest, were released onto Moturoa island in the 1980s. > > > > Since then, kiwi numbers on the island, near Kerikeri Inlet in the Bay of Islands, have grown into the hundreds - and that has put pressure on the limited habitat and food available for the protected birds. > > > > As a result, 21 kiwi caught on the island were released in Opua State Forest on Friday, easing the island's population boom and boosting kiwi numbers on the mainland at the same time. > > > > The operation would not have been possible even a few years ago but a massive pest control effort in Opua forest, which cloaks the hills behind Paihia, has made the area safe for the flightless birds.